Former Indian cricketer Faiz Fazal recently shared heartfelt insights into his experiences with the legendary MS Dhoni during India’s tour of Zimbabwe in 2016. Fazal praised Dhoni’s humility and recounted an incident where the former captain chose to sit on the floor in the lounge, offering his seat to younger players.
Despite Dhoni’s immense career achievements, he always maintained a down-to-earth demeanour, making everyone feel comfortable in his presence. Fazal highlighted Dhoni’s extraordinary quality of not letting his stature overshadow his humility.
He said, “MS Dhoni is so humble and down to earth, and he doesn’t make you feel that he is ‘MS DHONI’. I will share my experience with you. We were returning from Harare and sitting in the lounge. MS came in, and all of us offered him our seats. He just said, ‘Nahi nahi tum log betho (you have a seat), and he sat on the floor. He is a legend, and he makes you very comfortable.”
Reflecting on a memorable moment, Fazal expressed gratitude for receiving his maiden India cap from MS Dhoni during the same tour. He said, “The cherry on the cake was that I got the cap from MS Dhoni. Moreover, we won that match, and I struck an unbeaten 55. I was happy that I made some contributions to the team. I think everything is written in your destiny. In a population of 1.5 billion people, if you get a chance to represent the country, that’s just amazing.”
‘You feel bad and disappointed’, Faiz Fazal says about Test cricket
While Fazal never earned a Test cap for India, he acknowledged the formidable competition within the country. Despite the disappointment of missing out on Test cricket, he maintained a professional perspective, understanding the challenges of breaking into a team as competitive as India’s. Fazal spoke candidly about his aspirations and the tough reality of not making it to the Test side, emphasising that healthy competition is integral to cricket’s growth.
He said, “As a professional, you feel bad and disappointed. I wanted to play the test format for India. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it to the test side. The competition is strong in India. There’s no jealousy or grudges, but of course, as a professional, it’s disappointing. The other part of this is that competition should be there.”
In addition to his admiration for Dhoni, Fazal also praised KL Rahul as a batting partner during the Zimbabwe tour. Their camaraderie and relaxed approach contributed to a positive environment, and Fazal received widespread appreciation after their victorious performance.
